1 July 2021 – On Monday, I was in Santa Fe, and I visited a couple of Catholic churches. My mom had told me about the Loretto Chapel with the miraculous self-standing staircase. This little chapel only holds 139 people, but it is gorgeous with both the altar and the stations of the cross made of Italian marble. It was beautiful. Down the street, I visited The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. From the outside, this church fits right into Santa Fe with an adobe exterior. The inside was dramatically different. It was ornate and more European-looking. But the part that stuck with me the most was the statue of St. Francis on the exterior of the building with a plaque of The Prayer of St. Francis hanging beside it.

When I was fifteen, I wrote a research paper comparing and contrasting the courtly love described in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” to that of the brotherly love exhorted by St. Francis of Assisi. I was very proud of this paper. I still am. To summarize it, Chaucer wrote about courtly love, better known as chivalry. Courtly love is the medieval concept of expressing admiration and love in a noble, chivalrous fashion. This type of love exists on a spiritual and idealized plane. Think a knight fighting for the hand of a fair maiden. We see this type of love over and over again in literature and film. Chaucer wasn’t writing favorably about it. His writing was perfectly satirical. I did not and will not satirize it, and neither do I want to downplay the act of fighting for love, but I will say that it’s not a sustainable type of love. When I picked this topic in high school, it was because I had to choose a theme from “The Canterbury Tales” and compare/contrast it. I picked courtly love and went looking for the opposite. Because of this paper, I was introduced to St. Francis and brotherly love.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

When I saw the Prayer of St. Francis, not only was I reminded about this paper, but I was also reminded why I am the way I am. St. Francis traveled, encouraging those he met to practice brotherly love. Brotherly love is defined as feelings of humanity and compassion toward one’s fellow humans. When you read his prayer above, you see what he means by it. Love is about others and not about yourself. He reminds us of what God has called us to do and how we are called to act. I obviously and gratefully internalized this lesson because it is how I try to live my life.

I am the one who talks to the stranger, the wallflower or the forgotten. This is why sometimes I get stuck in weird conversations with strange people and why people who have a hard time fitting in attach themselves to me. When others are down on themselves or their situation, I encourage them in hope and faith, shining light into their darkness. When I know someone is in a bad place or feeling down, I am there to pick them up and show them all of the love I have. Giving what I have to others for their good is what gives me peace.

St. Francis died at age 44, leaving a legacy of brotherly love and love of nature. He founded the order of the Franciscans that still exists today in several forms. This order is dedicated to the adherence to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of St. Francis. I am not looking for this same legacy. I am just hoping that when people remember me, they remember me for being kind.